day 220: The Third Quarter

We are crossing into the last month of the third quarter. The third quarter usually brings lots of activity as it is traditionally a time of financial planning for the coming year and a time of readying for the holiday season. Many businesses depend on the sales activity in the fourth quarter; from Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving) through year-end), to make their financial targets. So, it is now in Q3, as the summer days get shorter and the feel of fall in the air starts to sneak back to us. We are coming off of vacation and diving back into work. Those who work in the agricultural industry know this feeling better than anyone. They are readying for the harvest so their Q3 is always a busy time and most important. In these busy, stressful and sometimes draining days, it can be hard to stay focused on our true purpose of work and we can allow ourselves to get overwhelmed and stressed to a point that we can't find time for anything else other than work. Our relationships suffer, our physical conditioning suffers and our spiritual readiness suffers. It is in these times that we must re-center and ensure that we are not losing ground but instead are leaning into keeping ourselves "fit" for the coming harvest. God is all-knowing about how our job load ebbs and flows. In Matthew Jesus says to His Disciples; "The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send out more workers for his fields". Of course Jesus is speaking of the harvesting of those who are ripe to give their lives to Him, but I think He also was speaking to each of us who are in our jobs but also trying to bring glory to God through our work and actions on the job. It may be that you feel alone in your work as it relates to bringing your purpose to your job. Or it may be that it just feels too hard to try and live for God on the job. It may be that today you are so overwhelmed that it's just hard to get centered or focused and you can feel yourself drifting under the burden of your workload. Today is the day to re-read Matthew 9:37-38 and listen to what Jesus is telling us to do; "...ask him to send out more workers for his fields". If you are working to bring glory to God through the job you do and others can see the reflection of God in you while you work, then you are working in His fields and He will bring more to you in your work. He never leaves us alone and certainly not in the busy time of harvest will he ever abandon us. So, Q3 is a great time of the year to lean on God for even more for His love, grace, support and peace. Now is also the time to reestablish the prayer time and the Bible study time that may have been lost because of the busyness of work and life. If you restart now, you are readying yourself for the tremendous harvest that is coming!

Reference: Matthew 9:37-38 (New Living Testament)